Coast Guard searches for missing diver

Published: Monday, September 2, 2013 at 9:42 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, September 3, 2013 at 11:19 a.m.

The U.S. Coast Guard continued to search for a missing diver Monday night but called off the search for a missing kayaker in separate incidents reported off Ponce de Leon Inlet, a Coast Guard spokeswoman said.

Petty Officer Lauren Jorgensen said Monday night that crews are searching the Atlantic Ocean about 24 miles east of Ponce de Leon Inlet for a 28-year-old diver who was not seen resurfacing.

The crew of the fishing vessel Yellowfin used a VHF-FM marine radio at 11:09 a.m. to report to the Coast Guard in Jacksonville that it had been about one hour since a man dived from the boat with 30 minutes of oxygen but didn't resurface, Jorgensen said.

A Coast Guard crew aboard a C-130 Hercules plane from Clearwater was training nearby and diverted to begin searching for the diver.

While en route to the search area, the crew spotted a 10-foot-long kayak with a white hull overturned about 10 miles from their intended destination, Jorgensen said.

The crew on the plane searched the area around the overturned kayak, left to refuel and returned to the area to continue searching for the diver and the kayaker.

“There never really was any active information that someone was in the kayak,” Jorgensen said. “(Authorities) have no reports of any kayaker who is overdue.”

A 45-foot response boat from the Coast Guard Station in New Smyrna Beach and a crew aboard an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Clearwater continued the search for the missing diver.

After the airplane left, the Atlantic Beach-based Coast Guard Cutter Diamondback and the Miami Beach-based Coast Guard Cutter Sitkinak that arrived at the search scene by 10:30 p.m. Monday continued the search overnight for the diver, Jorgensen said.

Crews had not found sign of the missing diver by late Monday night.

The Coast Guard in Jacksonville broadcast a message for boaters in the area to keep a lookout for the missing diver, Jorgensen said.

<p>The U.S. Coast Guard continued to search for a missing diver Monday night but called off the search for a missing kayaker in separate incidents reported off Ponce de Leon Inlet, a Coast Guard spokeswoman said.</p><p>Petty Officer Lauren Jorgensen said Monday night that crews are searching the Atlantic Ocean about 24 miles east of Ponce de Leon Inlet for a 28-year-old diver who was not seen resurfacing. </p><p>The crew of the fishing vessel Yellowfin used a VHF-FM marine radio at 11:09 a.m. to report to the Coast Guard in Jacksonville that it had been about one hour since a man dived from the boat with 30 minutes of oxygen but didn't resurface, Jorgensen said.</p><p>A Coast Guard crew aboard a C-130 Hercules plane from Clearwater was training nearby and diverted to begin searching for the diver.</p><p> While en route to the search area, the crew spotted a 10-foot-long kayak with a white hull overturned about 10 miles from their intended destination, Jorgensen said.</p><p>The crew on the plane searched the area around the overturned kayak, left to refuel and returned to the area to continue searching for the diver and the kayaker.</p><p>Search crews stopped looking for the kayaker about 8 p.m. Monday, Jorgensen said.</p><p>“There never really was any active information that someone was in the kayak,” Jorgensen said. “(Authorities) have no reports of any kayaker who is overdue.”</p><p>A 45-foot response boat from the Coast Guard Station in New Smyrna Beach and a crew aboard an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Clearwater continued the search for the missing diver.</p><p>After the airplane left, the Atlantic Beach-based Coast Guard Cutter Diamondback and the Miami Beach-based Coast Guard Cutter Sitkinak that arrived at the search scene by 10:30 p.m. Monday continued the search overnight for the diver, Jorgensen said.</p><p> Crews had not found sign of the missing diver by late Monday night.</p><p> The Coast Guard in Jacksonville broadcast a message for boaters in the area to keep a lookout for the missing diver, Jorgensen said.</p>